Bucknell grad transfer Nate Sestina picks UK

By LARRY VAUGHT

One day after Reid Travis posted an emotional farewell to Kentucky basketball fans after his one season at UK as a graduate transfer, the Cats have picked up another solid grad transfer for next season is 6-8 Nate Sestina.

He averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for Bucknell last year and shot 53.6 percent overall, 38 percent from 3-point range and 81 percent from the foul line. He was a second team all-conference pick in the Patriot League after having 27 games where he scored in double figures and 11 double-dougles.

He had a career-high 32 points against Holy Cross and scored 20 or more points 10 times.

Bucknell had wins over Rhode Island and UNLV and also faced Ohio State, TCU and St. Mary’s.

While he’s not as highly regarded as Travis was a year ago, he’s welcome inside help for the Cats who figure to have only Nick Richards and EJ Montgomery returning as interior players next year — with no guarantee that one or both still could not leave.

Sestina visited UK this week and announced his commitment to UK on Twitter — and did it much earlier than Travis did last year when he left Stanford.

“It’s been an amazing ride from Emporium to Bucknell and everywhere in between, and it’s surreal to think my college basketball career isn’t over yet,” Sestina announced via Twitter. I’m humbled to get started with Kentucky basketball. Need to thank God, my family, my coaches, teammates and John Calipari #BBN,” he posted on Twitter.

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Larry Vaught

5 comments

I am amazed…how does Cal find these guys? Does he visit them himself? With a guaranteed life contract he is not going to slow down. He wanted this job for 20 years. He is where he wants to be and needs to be.
Now could he get another grad student, I think two would be really good, maybe a third one…well, I can wish.